دانلود رایگان مقاله اصلاحات اداره امور عمومی در مقدونیه

abstract

The Western Balkan countries have made important steps in the advancement of democracy. However, public administration remains a field where reforms progress very slowly, due to a combination of reasons, ranging from economic and political to cultural ones. Macedonia is not an exception. This paper analyzes the main reasons for the slow pace of reforms in Macedonia’s public administration sector. The focus on public administration and the state contributes to understanding the priority of establishing a professional, efficient and transparent public administration system in a country in the process of European accession. The main research question is why reforms in Macedonia’s public administration sector have been so difficult to implement.

6. Conclusion

Gaining and maintaining public trust must be approached holistically, as the threads of integrity, transparency and accountability knit together to uphold all public administration, and ultimately governance reforms. To this end, fighting corruption is not only an end in itself, it is of fundamental value to all government reforms, which may require changes in legal and policy frameworks for the control and expenditure of public monies and improved procurement practices. It also requires the inculcation of public service values throughout the institution through education, training and enforcement. The devastating effects of the lack of integrity, transparency and accountability in public administration, leading to corruption and misconduct, cannot be underestimated. These principles are a prerequisite to public trust, as a keystone of good governance.

The consideration of the administration as a property of the ruling party, reserving for itself exclusive rights to control and manipulate the public administration sector, has produced a weakened Macedonian public administration, which in consequence also mitigates the efficacy of the legislative reforms that are carried out. The constant turnover of the administration – firing experienced and trained employees and replacing them with under-qualified candidates – does not help to formulate institutional missions and further develop professionalism. In consequence, public administration, besides remaining a heavy burden on the state’s public expenditures, adds to Macedonia’s incapacity to cope with the pressure of implementing EU conditional reforms, and the accomplishment of a fully functioning democracy and market economy.